Lobster Bisque

* receipe addapted from Michel Roux JR's "Le Gavroche Cookbook".

Ingredients:
Serves 10-12 persons

2 big lobster heads (the shells do not really add to the flavour. Most important will be the heads)
lobster meat from 1 lobster (you can keep the meat from the 2nd lobster in the freezer for next time use)
1 onion - minced
1 carrot - minced
2 stalks of celery - minced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 sprigs of italian parsley
1 sprig of thyme
2 large tomatoes - chopped into cubes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp brandy
300ml dry white wine
2 lites fish stock (see below)
1 litres veal or chicken stock (see below)
butter
500ml double cream


Fish Stock
Ingredients:
1kg bones and heads from white fish (eg. sole, turbot, etc)
1 onion - roughly chopped
1 stick of celery - roughly chopped
60g butter
100ml dry white wine
2 litres water
6 parsley stalks
1 bay leaf

How to Make:
1. Remove any gills from the fish heads and thoroughly clean the fish heads and bones and drain.
2. Sweat the onion and celery with the butter in a deep saucepan in medium fire and when softened, add the fish heads and bones and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Pour in the wine, turn up heat and let the wine evaporate and reduce by half.
3. Add the water and herbs and bring to boil, skimming frequently. Lower the the heat to medium (but you still see bubbles in the middle) and cook uncovered for 1 hr.
4. Strain through a muslin-lined sieve and leave to cool.

Chicken Stock
You can use the ready made one but i prefer to make my own stock if this is a soup dish.
Ingredients:
1 old chicken with skin removed
1 carrot
1 onion
1/2 stick of celery

How to Make:
1. Blanch the chicken. Drain.
2. Put chicken, onion, carrot and celery in a deepsauce pan, add water, bring to boil, reduce to medium to medium-low heat and cook for 2 hrs.
3. Drain the ingredients and once the soup is cool down, you can skim the fat on top of this stock.

Lobster Bisque
How to Make:
1. Keep the meat from one lobster in the fridge for later use.

2. Clean the lobster heads and crush them with a rolling pin until they are well broken up.

3. Bring the fish stock and chicken stock to boil and keep them aside.

4. Sweat the onion, carrot, celery with olive oil in a large and deep saucepab. When the vegetables are lightly browned and softened, add the parsley and thyme, then the lobster heads, stirroing frequently so nothing sticks or burns for around 5 min.

5. When the bones are hot, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and the cayenne pepper.

6. Pour in the brandy and stir well for 1-2min, then add the white wine and boil for at least 3 min.

7. Add the stocks (proportion of fish stock and chicken stock - 2:1), bring to boil and season lightly with sea salt. Simmer for 1 hr, stirring occassioally and skimming off scum that appears on surface.

8. Drain through a colander set over a large pot, pressing the bones well to extract all juices and flavour.

9. Then pass the soup one more time to another pot via a fine sieve. Bring to boil and reduce the soup by 1/3. Skim if necessary.

10. In the meantime, heat some butter in a frying pan, then add the lobser meats and stir fry until 80% done. Distribute the lobster meats to the soup bowls.

11. Just before you are ready to serve the soup, add the double cream, according to taste and boil for not more than 5 mins. Spoon to each bowl with the lobster meats and serve immediately. You can garnish by adding some minced parsley and cayenne pepper. You can also add a little cognac or Armagnac if your guests like this. Or perhaps froth with a hand blender for a cappuccino effect.

enjoy~~